JP7228395B2 - heating cooker - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a heating cooker provided with a pressurization/decompression device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a cooking device, a cooking device such as a pressure cooker, which heats and cooks food while pressurizing it, has been widely used. 2. Description of the Related Art A cooking device having a pressure regulating mechanism includes a valve unit for a pressure vessel so that the pressure inside the pressure vessel can be adjusted (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). By cooking while applying pressure, the cooking time can be shortened.

International Publication No. WO2010/060508 (published on June 3, 2010)

However, in a conventional heating cooker having a pressure control mechanism, it is necessary to cook food with the lid of the pressure vessel closed, so it is not possible to stir the food during cooking. Moreover, it takes time to pressurize and reach the desired pressure.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to realize a heating cooker capable of stirring foodstuffs under pressure and shortening the time until the foodstuffs are pressurized.

In order to solve the above problems, a heating cooker according to an aspect of the present invention includes a cooker body having an inner pot, a heating unit that heats the inner pot, opens and closes with respect to the cooker body, a lid that covers the inner pot in a closed state; a stirring device that stirs ingredients in the inner pot with the lid covering the inner pot; and a state that the inner pot is covered with the lid. , a pressurization device for pressurizing and depressurizing the inside of the inner pot, and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs stirring by the stirring device while heating by the heating unit and pressurization by the pressurization device. In addition, it is characterized by causing bumping in the inner pot .

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to 1 aspect of this invention, it is effective in the ability to stir foodstuffs in the pressurized state, and to shorten the time until pressurization.

It is a perspective view which shows the heating cooker of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an open state of a lid body in the heating cooker shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device for the heating cooker shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a timing chart of pressurization/decompression control in the heating cooker shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heating cooker according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the heating cooker of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an open state of the cover of the heating cooker shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heating cooker shown in FIG. 1 taken along line AA.

(Outline of the structure of the heating cooker 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the heating cooker 1 includes a cooker body 11 and a lid 12. As shown in FIGS. The cooker main body 11 and the lid 12 are connected by a rear rotation support 13 . Therefore, the lid body 12 rotates about the rotation support portion 13 and can be opened and closed with respect to the cooker main body portion 11 .

The cooker main body portion 11 has an inner pot (food material accommodating portion) 21 . The inner pot 21 is housed in a recess inside the cooker main body 11 so that it can be put in and taken out.

In the closed state, the lid body 12 is held closed by a lock mechanism (not shown). The lid body 12 has an open button 31 on the upper surface of the front part, and when the open button 31 is pushed, the lock mechanism is disengaged and the lid body 12 is opened as shown in FIG.

The lid body 12 has an outer lid 32 and an inner lid 33 . The outer lid 32 is a housing portion of the lid body 12 and is mainly made of resin. The inner lid 33 is made of, for example, a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel, and serves as a lid for the inner pot 21 when the lid body 12 is closed, covering the upper surface of the inner pot 21 . The inner lid 33 has, for example, a rubber packing 33b on its outer periphery. The inner lid 33 is provided on the inner surface of the outer lid 32 and is detachably attachable to the outer lid 32 by, for example, fitting the outer peripheral portion thereof to the outer lid 32 . A viewing window 33a made of heat-resistant glass is formed in the inner lid 33, and a viewing hole 34 is formed in a portion of the outer lid 32 corresponding to the viewing window 33a so that the user can look into the inner pot 21 through the viewing window 33a. formed.

A steam outlet 35 is formed in the lid 12 . By discharging steam from the steam discharge port 35, the pressure in the inner pot 21 is kept constant.

The heating cooker 1 also includes a stirring device 41 and a pressure reducing device 51 .

(Details of stirring device 41)
The stirring device 41 includes a stirring member 42 that rotates to stir the ingredients in the inner pot 21 and a motor 43 (see FIG. 4) that drives the stirring member 42 . The stirring member 42 is positioned on the lower surface side of the inner lid 33 .

The stirring member 42 has a stirring member shaft 42a, a stirring member base 42b, a stirring arm (first stirring arm) 42c and a stirring arm (second stirring arm) 42d. The number of stirring arms is not limited to two, and may be three or more. The stirring member shaft 42a is provided on the stirring member base 42b. The agitating arms 42c and 42d can be changed between the housed state shown in FIG. 2 and the open agitating state (extended downward of the inner pot 21) shown in FIG. When the stirring arm 42c is in a stirring state, the stirring device 41 can stir the ingredients in the inner pot 21 by rotating.

Further, the stirring device 41 stirs the ingredients in the inner pot 21 in the state of pressure reduction by the pressure reduction device 51 .

(Details of the pressurization/decompression device 51)
The pressurizer 51 pressurizes and depressurizes the pressure in the inner pot 21 using the steam outlet 35 of the lid 12. As shown in FIG. It has

Pressure valve 52 is driven by electromagnet 53 so as to adjust the opening area of steam outlet 35 formed in lid 12 . That is, when the pressure in the inner pot 21 is increased by the pressure reducing device 51, the steam discharge port 35 is closed by the pressure valve 52, and when the pressure in the inner pot 21 whose pressure has increased is reduced, the steam is discharged by the pressure valve 52. Exit 35 is opened. The opening and closing operation of the pressure valve 52 at this time is performed by the electromagnet 53 .

Decompression of the inner pot 21 using the pressure valve 52 is effective when the pressure inside the inner pot 21 is higher than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, it is not effective when the pressure inside the inner pot 21 is at or below the atmospheric pressure. In such a case, a vacuum pump 54 is used.

That is, with the pressure valve 52 blocking the steam discharge port 35 , the vacuum pump 54 is operated to draw air from the inner pot 21 , thereby reducing the pressure in the inner pot 21 .
(Configuration of control system)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the heating cooker 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 , the heating cooker 1 has a control section 61 . The control unit 61 is connected to the motor 43 and the rotation stopping unit 45 of the stirring device 41, the electromagnet 53 and the vacuum pump 54 of the pressurizing and depressurizing device 51, the lid open/close sensor 62, the cooking start button 63, the pause button 64, and the heater 65. ing.

The lid open/close sensor 62 detects the open state and closed state of the lid body 12 , that is, the inner lid 33 . The lid open/close sensor 62 includes, for example, a Hall IC provided on the lid 12 and a magnet provided on the cooker main body 11, and various conventionally known sensors that can detect the opening and closing of the lid 12, such as a microswitch. configuration is applicable.

The cooking start button 63 is a button for instructing the heating cooker 1 to start cooking. In the heat cooker 1, when the cooking start button 63 is pressed, the heating of the ingredients in the inner pot 21 is started, and when the cooking menu is set to stir the ingredients, the stirring device 41 is operated to start cooking. If pressurization/decompression is set in the menu, the pressurization/decompression device 51 is operated.

The pause button 64 is a button for instructing the heating cooker 1 to pause cooking. When the pause button 64 is pressed, the heating cooker 1 temporarily stops heating the ingredients in the inner pot 21, stops the stirring device 41 when the stirring device 41 is operating, and presses the pressurizing/depressurizing device. When 51 is operating, the pressurization/decompression device 51 is stopped, the steam discharge port 35 is opened, and the inside of the inner pot 21 is returned to the atmospheric pressure. The user operates the temporary stop button 64 when adding or adding ingredients or seasonings to the inner pot 21 during cooking by the heating cooker 1 .

The rotation stopping unit 45 controls the rotation of the stirring member 42 by inertia when the stirring arms 42 c and 42 d of the stirring member 42 are brought into the stirring-enabled state and the retracted state according to the control by the control unit 61 and after the motor 43 is stopped. is stopped, the rotation of the stirring member 42 is stopped.

The heater 65 is provided below the inner pot 21 in the cooker main body 11 and heats the inner pot 21, as shown in FIG.

When the cooking start button 63 is operated, the control unit 61 operates the heater 65, the stirring device 41 and the pressure reducing device 51 according to the cooking menu selected by the user.

Here, in the heating cooker 1, "strong", "weak", and "temperature control" can be selected as the heating setting of the heater 65, and "intermittent", "high speed", and "low speed" can be selected as the stirring setting of the stirring device 41. can be set, and the state of the pressure reducing valve by the pressure reducing device 51 can be set to "open", "closed", or "exhaust". "Exhaust" as the state of the pressure reducing valve by the pressure reducing device 51 indicates a state in which the steam discharge port 35 is completely closed and the air in the inner pot 21 is drawn by a vacuum pump or the like to reduce the pressure. A state in which the steam outlet 35 is open is shown, and "closed" indicates a state in which the steam outlet 35 is completely closed.

(Cooking by heating cooker 1)
FIG. 5 is a timing chart of pressurization/decompression control in the heating cooker 1. FIG. “Pressure” in the timing chart indicates the pressure inside the inner pot 21 when the inner pot 21 is covered with the lid 12 , and “Temperature” indicates the temperature of the ingredients in the inner pot 21 . An example in which the user selects "simmered dish" as the cooking menu will be described below.

The "simmered dish" selected as the cooking menu is cooked by sequentially executing nine stages (first stage to ninth stage), as shown in FIG. The nine stages are: 1st stage "start-up", 2nd stage "rapid pressurization", 3rd stage "pressurization", 4th stage "boiling maintenance", 5th stage "rapid depressurization" , the sixth stage "decompression", the seventh stage "soaking", the eighth stage "reheating", and the ninth stage "simmering".

The heating in the heating cooker 1 is set to “strong” from the first stage to the third stage, set to “temperature control” at the fourth stage, and “none” from the fifth stage to the seventh stage. (not heated)", set to "weak" at the eighth stage, and set to "temperature control" at the ninth stage.

The stirring in the cooking device 1 is set to “intermittent” in the first stage, “high speed” in the second stage, and “none (no stirring)” in the third and fourth stages. set to "Fast" in the fifth stage, "None (no agitation)" in the sixth stage, and "Intermittent" in the seventh to ninth stages.

The pressure-reducing valve in the heating cooker 1 is set to "open" at the first stage, set to "closed" from the second stage to the fourth stage, and set to "open" at the fifth stage, It is set to "exhaust" in the sixth stage, "closed" in the seventh stage, and "open" in the eighth to ninth stages.

In the first stage "startup", since the heating is "strong", the temperature of the ingredients in the inner pot 21 rises rapidly. However, since the pressure reducing valve is "open", the pressure inside the inner pot 21 rises slowly.

In the second stage "rapid pressurization", the heating is "strong", the pressure reducing valve is "closed", and the stirring is "high speed", so bumping occurs in the inner pot 21, The pressure inside the inner pot 21 rises sharply.

In the third stage "pressurization", since the pressure has increased to some extent in the second stage, the stirring is stopped and the heating "strong" is maintained until the contents in the inner pot 21 boil.

In the fourth stage "boiling maintenance", the heating is "temperature controlled" so that the temperature of the contents boiled in the third stage is maintained at a high temperature and the pressure inside the inner pot 21 is maintained at a high pressure.

As described above, from the first stage to the fourth stage, the inner pot 21 is in a pressurized state by the pressurizing/depressurizing device 51, so heating by the heater 65, which is a heating unit, continues. Thereby, the time for raising the pressure of the inner pot 21 to the desired pressure can be shortened.

In the fifth stage "rapid pressure reduction", the pressure inside the inner pot 21 is rapidly reduced by setting the heating to "none", the pressure reducing valve to "open", and the stirring to "high speed".

In the sixth stage "Decompression", heating is set to "None", stirring is set to "None", and the pressure reducing valve is set to "Exhaust" to further reduce the pressure in the inner pot 21 to a desired pressure. The desired pressure here is a pressure suitable for impregnating the boiled food and a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure.

In the seventh stage "permeate", the pressure reached in the sixth stage is maintained in the inner pot 21 by setting the heating to "none", the stirring to "intermittent", and the pressure reducing valve to "closed". Meanwhile, the ingredients in the inner pot 21 are stirred to permeate the flavor into the boiled food.

As described above, from the fifth stage to the seventh stage, the inner pot 21 is in a decompressed state by the pressurizing/decompressing device 51, so heating by the heater 65 as the heating portion is stopped. Thereby, the time for lowering the pressure of the inner pot 21 to the desired pressure can be shortened.

In the eighth stage "reheating", the heating is set to "weak", the stirring is set to "intermittent", and the pressure reducing valve is set to "open". The temperature of the food inside is raised to a predetermined temperature, and the pressure of the inner pot 21 is returned to atmospheric pressure.

In the ninth stage "simmering", the heating is "temperature controlled", the stirring is "intermittent", and the pressure reducing valve is "open", so that the temperature of the ingredients achieved in the eighth stage, the inner pot 21 maintain pressure. This is how the simmering is carried out.

(Advantages of heating cooker 1)
The heating cooker 1 configured as described above includes a stirring device 41 for stirring ingredients in the inner pot 21 with the lid 12 covering the inner pot 21, and a lid 12 covering the inner pot 21, By providing the pressurizing and depressurizing device 51 for pressurizing and depressurizing the inside of the inner pot 21, the ingredients can be stirred in a pressurized state and the time until pressurization can be shortened.

For example, like the second stage of "rapid pressurization" shown in FIG. Bumping can be caused by performing agitation (high-speed rotation of the agitating member 42). This bumping can rapidly increase the pressure in the inner pot 21, so that the desired pressure can be achieved in a shorter time than the time required to reach the desired pressure without stirring.

In addition, as in the fifth stage of "rapid depressurization", when the desired pressure is reached, heating is stopped, the pressure reducing valve is opened, and stirring is performed by the stirring device 41 (high-speed rotation of the stirring member 42). ), the pressure in the inner pot 21 can be rapidly lowered. As a result, it is possible to significantly shorten the time required for the pressure to be lowered to a pressure (lower than the atmospheric pressure) that is suitable for impregnating the flavor into the food.

Therefore, according to the heating cooker 1, there is an effect that the pressurization/decompression control in the inner pot 21 can be easily performed in a short period of time.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, each stage includes "intermittent" and "high-speed" agitation both during pressurization and depressurization. In other words, the difference in the number of revolutions of the stirring member 42 of the stirring device 41 during pressurization and depressurization is not clear. However, it is preferable to set the number of rotations of the stirring member 42 of the stirring device 41 to be higher when the inner pot 21 is pressurized than when the inner pot 21 is decompressed by the pressure reducing device 51 . In order to rapidly increase the pressure of the inner pot 21, the stirring member 42 of the stirring device 41 is rotated at high speed just before the contents in the inner pot 21 boil. This is because it is necessary to lower the temperature of the contents of the inner pot 21 in order to lower the temperature to 100.degree.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the invention are described below. For convenience of description, members having the same functions as those of the members described in the above embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

(Outline of the structure of the heating cooker 2)
FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the heating cooker 2 in which the inner pot 21 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction.

The heating cooker 2 cooks the ingredients in the inner pot 21 in a state in which the straight line Y passing through the center of the opening surface of the inner pot 21 and the center of the bottom surface of the inner pot 21 is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the vertical direction X. Allow to stir. That is, the stirring device 41 is arranged such that the straight line Y passing through the center of the opening surface of the inner pot 21 and the center of the bottom surface of the inner pot 21 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction X. Stir the ingredients. By stirring the ingredients while the inner pot 21 is tilted in this manner, the pushed-up peripheral portion and the unmixed central portion of the ingredients move downward due to gravity and reach the stirring range of the stirring member 42. , is stirred again. In particular, if the object to be cooked is not a highly fluid food like rice, but a solid food such as nikujaga (meat and potatoes), the ingredients that are pushed up during stirring may gather outside or leave unmixed ingredients in the center. It is effective to agitate the foodstuffs in a state in which 21 is tilted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims, and can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1, 2 heating cooker 11 cooker body 12 lid 13 rotation support 21 inner pot 31 open button 32 outer lid 33 inner lid 33b packing 35 steam outlet 41 stirring device 42 stirring member 42a stirring member shaft 42b stirring member base 42c, 42d Stirring arm 43 Motor 45 Rotation stop unit 51 Pressure reducing device 52 Pressure valve 53 Electromagnet 54 Vacuum pump 61 Control unit 62 Lid open/close sensor 63 Cooking start button 64 Pause button 65 Heater X Vertical direction Y Straight line θ Angle

Claims (4)

a cooker body having an inner pot;
a heating unit that heats the inner pot;
a lid that opens and closes with respect to the cooker body and covers the inner pot in a closed state;
a stirring device for stirring ingredients in the inner pot with the inner pot covered by the lid;
a pressurizing and depressurizing device for pressurizing and depressurizing the inside of the inner pot in a state where the inner pot is covered with the lid;
a control unit;
The heating cooker, wherein the control unit causes the heating unit to perform heating and the pressurization and pressure reduction device to perform agitation by the agitation device, thereby causing bumping in the inner pot. The control unit reduces the pressure in the inner pot from the pressurized state by causing the pressure reduction device to depressurize and the stirring device to perform stirring while stopping the heating by the heating unit. The heating cooker according to claim 1. The stirring device is
In order to stir the ingredients in the inner pot, a stirring member that rotates inside the inner pot is provided,
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the rotation speed of the stirring member is set to be higher when the inner pot is pressurized by the pressurization/decompression device than when the inner pot is decompressed. The heating cooker described. The stirring device is
The ingredients in the inner pot are stirred in a state in which a straight line passing from the center of the opening surface of the inner pot to the center of the bottom surface of the inner pot is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. 4. The heating cooker according to any one of 1 to 3 .

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